Metropolitan Opera 2018 Season

**Replaces the previously scheduled sessions of DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE upon strict instructions from Met Opera - apologies for any inconvenience**

Renée Fleming lights up the Met stage as Hanna Glawari, the fabulously wealthy widow of the title in Lehár’s beloved operetta, set in Paris and seen in a glittering production directed and choreographed by Broadway’s Susan Stroman. Nathan Gunn is Danilo, Hanna’s former flame, who is supposed to woo and marry her in order to keep her fortune in their home country of Pontevedro. Kelli O’Hara sings Valencienne, the flirtatious young wife of the Pontevedrian ambassador in Paris, Baron Zeta, played by Thomas Allen, and Alek Shrader is her suitor, Camille. Andrew Davis conducts the waltz-rich score, and the new English translation is by Jeremy Sams.

THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (ADÈS)Runtime: Approx 172mins

Sunday 11th March at 1.00pm

Wednesday 21st March 1.00pm

The Exterminating Angel has its Met premiere this season, conducted by the composer, Thomas Adès. The 2016 opera, co-commissioned by the Met and sung in English, is based on the screenplay by Luis Buñuel and Luis Alcoriza for the acclaimed 1962 Buñuel film. Directed by the librettist Tom Cairns, the ensemble cast features Audrey Luna as Leticia Maynar; Amanda Echalaz as Lucia de Nobile; Sally Matthews as Silvia de Ávila and Sophie Bevan as Beatriz, both in Met debuts; Alice Coote as Leonora Palma; Christine Rice as Blanca Delgado; Iestyn Davies as Francisco de Ávila; Joseph Kaiser as Edundo de Nobile; Frédéric Antoun in his Met debut as Raúl Yebenes; David Portillo as Edmundo; David Adam Moore in his Met debut as Col. Álvaro Gómez; Rod Gilfry as Alberto Roc; Kevin Burdette as Señor Russell; Christian Van Horn as Julio; and John Tomlinson as Dr Carlos Conde. The Exterminating Angel is a co-commission and co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Royal Danish Theatre; and Salzburg Festival, where the production premiered in 2016.

TOSCA (PUCCINI)Runtime: Approx 198mins

Sunday 01st April at 1.00pm

Wednesday 11th April 1.00pm

Andris Nelsons conducts a new staging of Puccini’s dramatic tragedy, directed by Sir David McVicar. Kristine Opolais and Vittorio Grigolo star as the heroine Tosca and her lover Cavaradossi, with Bryn Terfel as the villainous Scarpia.

L’ELISIR D’AMORE (DONIZETTI)Runtime: Approx 179mins

Sunday 06th May at 1.00pm

Wednesday 16th May 1.00pm

Donizetti’s comic gem L’Elisir d’Amore, staged by Bartlett Sher and conducted by Domingo Hindoyan, stars Pretty Yende as the spirited Adina, with Matthew Polenzani as Nemorino, the simple peasant who falls in love with her. Davide Luciano makes his Met debut as the role of Adina’s arrogant fiancé, Belcore and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo sings the role of the magic potion-peddling Doctor Dulcamara. Domingo Hindoyan makes his company debut conducting.

LA BOHÈME (PUCCINI)Runtime: Approx 196mins

Wednesday 23rd May at 1.00pm

Sunday 27th May 1.00pm

An exciting young cast stars in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production of La Bohème, the most-performed opera in Met history. Sonya Yoncheva stars as Mimì opposite Michael Fabiano as the passionate writer Rodolfo. Susanna Phillips reprises the role of the flirtatious Musetta and Lucas Meachem sings the role of her lover, the painter Marcello. The cast also features Alexey Lavrov and Matthew Rose as Rodolfo and Marcello’s friends Schaunard and Colline and Paul Plishka as Benoit and Alcindoro in this performance, led by Marco Armiliato.

SEMIRAMIDE (ROSSINI)Runtime: Approx 230mins

Sunday 10th June at 1.00pm

Wednesday 20th June 1.00pm

Angela Meade makes her Met role debut as the title character in Semiramide. Rossini’s opera, which has not been seen at the Met in 25 years, will be conducted by Maurizio Benini and feature Elizabeth DeShong as the Commander of the Assyrian army Arsace, Javier Camarena as an Indian king Idreno, Ildar Abdrazakov as the prince Assur, and Ryan Speedo Green as the high priest Oroe.

COSI FAN TUTTE (MOZART)Runtime: Approx 236mins

Wednesday 27th June at 1.00pm

Sunday 01st July 1.00pm

Phelim McDermott returns to the Met staging Mozart’s comedy Così fan tutte, led by David Robertson. Set in the 1950s on Coney Island, the cast features Amanda Majeski as the conflicted Fiordiligi; Serena Malfi as her sister, Dorabella; Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara as their feisty maid, Despina; Ben Bliss and Adam Plachetka as the sisters’ fiancés, Ferrando and Guglielmo; and Christopher Maltman as the cynical Don Alfonso. Così fan tutte is a co-production with the English National Opera.

LUISA MILLER (VERDI)Runtime: Approx 238mins

Sunday 29th July at 1.00pm

Wednesday 08th August 1.00pm

A revival of Luisa Miller, which has not been seen at the Met since 2006. Starring Sonya Yoncheva as a peasant girl Luisa opposite Piotr Beczala as Rodolfo in Verdi’s tragedy about a young woman who sacrifices her own happiness in an attempt to save her father’s life. The cast also stars Plácido Domingo as Luisa’s father Miller, with Olesya Petrova as Federica, and Alexander Vinogradov in his Met debut and Dmitry Belosselskiy as Walter and Wurm respectively, the ruthless men determined to tear Luisa and Rodolfo apart.

CENDRILLON (MASSENET) Runtime: Approx 192mins

Wednesday 15th August at 1.00pm

Sunday 19th August 1.00pm

Massenet’s enchanting opera Cendrillon, based on Cinderella, premieres at the Met conducted by Bertrand de Billy and directed by Laurent Pelly, whose Met credits include staging Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment and Massenet’s Manon. Joyce DiDonato adds another role to her Met repertory as the title character, a role she has sung to acclaim at the Grand Teatre del Liceu, Santa Fe Opera, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. The cast also stars Alice Coote as Prince Charmant, Stephanie Blythe as the evil stepmother Madame de la Haltière, Kathleen Kim as the Fée, and Laurent Naouri as Pandolfe. Cendrillon is produced in association with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona; Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie, Brussels; and Opéra de Lille. This production was first performed at The Santa Fe Opera.